Coal conveying and discharging device



Sept. 17, 1929. w. B. COFFMAN COAL CONVEYING AND DISCHARGING DEVICE Filed March 11. 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet INVEN TOR.

A TTORNEY.

Sept. 17, 1929. w. a. COFFMAN CC'AL CONVEYING AND DISCHARGING DEVICE Filed March 11. 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. William If). Coffman A TTORNE Y.

Patented Sept. 17, 1929 PATENT OFFICE WILLIAM B. COFEMAN, OF NOBWOOD, OHIO COAL CONVEYING AND DISCHARGING DEVICE Application filed March 11, 1926.

My invention relates to means for conveying and discharging coal or coke into stoker hoppers and the like.

The objects of my invention are to provide coal-loading and conveying mechanism which will be simple, eliicient, economical and easily operated for the purpose of supplying the coal or coke to stoker hoppers and the like.

My invention consists in providing a track leading to furnace hoppers on which coalbuckets are drawn upwardly by a suitable chain hoist and emptied by means attached to said track.

My invention also consists in the construction, combination, location and arrangement of parts, as herein set forth and claimed.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a View partly in elevation, partly in section and partly in dotted lines to show the construction and operation of the inven tion;

Fig. 2 is a vertical cross-section taken on the line 22 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of one of the coal-buckets;

Fig. t is a front elevation oi Fig. 1;

5 is a vertical cross section taken on a line 5--5 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged perspective view of one of the tracks showing one of the hook stops attached thereto;

Fig. 7 is a side elevation thereof showing the hook stop in dotted lines; and

Fig. 8 is a perspective View of the lower end of one of the tracks showing a modification.

In the embodiment of my invention as illustrated and which shows a preferred con- 40 struction I provide usual furnace 1, boilers 2. automatic stokcr and stoker hopper t. Heretofore it has been the custom to manually till, hopper 4t with coal 5 by shoveling: the coal from coal pile 6. After the hopper 45 4c is filled with coal 5, stoker-piston 7, operated by suitable mechanism 8, forces the coal into furnace 1 through opening 9. Thus far I have described the present method of feeding coal into furnace after the hopper 4:

has "seen tilled;

Serial No. 93,929.

Furnaces equipped with automatic stokers require hopper 4 to be continuously filled with fuel, such as coal or coke. To do this mechanically and to eliminate the necessity of manually shoveling fuel into said hop- 5 per 4 I provide a plurality of coal buckets 10 all of which are of exactly the same construction. Said buckets 10 comprise bottom 1]. incline front 12, back 13 and sides 1t and 15, respectively. Rollers 16 are 0 mounted on the bottom 11 of said bucket 10 to facilitate the movement of the bucket from the coal pile 6 to the furnace 1. U-shaped handle 17 has its ends terminating in eyes 18 and 19, respectively, which are pivotally received over studs 20 and 21, said studs being integral with reenforcing, strips 22 and 23 which are secured to the coalbucket 10 by bolts 24. Rollers 25 and 26 are located near the inclined front 12 and to ards the top of bucket 10 and are rotatably mounted on roller studs 27 and 28. Said studs 27 and 28, respectively, have shoulders 27 and 28 and reduced threaded ends 27 and 28 which are inserted through holes 29 and 30 in bucket 10 and which receive nuts 31 and 32. Tracks 33 and 3t L-shaped or angular in cross section, are socured to floor 35 by brackets 36 and bolts 37 and are inclined towards hopper 4:, as shown in Fig. 1. The upper ends of L-shaped tracks and 34 are bent downwardly, as shown in Figs. 6 and 7, forming holding members 38 and 39 which book over edge l of hopper 4 and are rigidly secured thereto by bolts and nuts 40. Hook stops ail and 4-2 are secured to the upper ends of L-shapcd tracks 33 and 34 by bolts and nuts 43. Said stops are provided with brace strips H and to retain the shape of the hooked ends, as shown in Fig. 6.

In the modified construction of track, an integrally formed foot 36 is bent at an annjlc thereto to form floor attaching means.

The operation of my device is as follows: 95

The coal bucket 10 is filled with coal 5 from coal pile 6 and then rolled over to L-shaped tracks 33 and 34. The bucket 10 is turned so that inclined front 12 fits between tits-l guides of said tracks; and rollers with coal 5 whereby the nd 26 ride on the edge of said guides, a siown in 1 and 'lhen suitable lifting mechanism, such. as chain hoist is hooked under U-shaped handle 17, as shown in Fig. l. l'Vhen said hoist is oper ated bucket 10 is drawn upwardly until rollers 25 and 26 engage hook stops at and As the rollers 25 and 26 engage hook stops ll and 42 the bucket 10, being pivotally attached to U-shaped handle 17 is dumped, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1. Then the hoist is lowered, thereby lowering bucket 10 which may be unhooked from said hoist and rolled over to coal pile {3 and refilled operation of dumping the coal into hopper 4; repeated.

An advantage my invention is that one man can keep a number of. hoppers filled with less hard work than was hereto- :tore required by several men to produce the same amount ot' work.

Another advantage of my invention is that the labor cost for loading stoker hoppers is reduced to a minimum.

Heretoi ore the coal pile has usually been located a considerable distance irorn the stoker, requiring that it be shoveled therefrom to the floor immediately in tront 01" the stoker and then shoveled up into the hopper. This is not only a slow and la borious means but it also involves keeping a pile of: coal in front of the stoker where it is in the way of workmen.

An advantage oi my invention is that the coal can be drawn any desired distance from the coal pile to the stoker in the buckets and drawn up the track and dumped, thus keeping a. neat and clean floor and avoiding any obstruction to t no workmen. Furthermore, in many boiler rooms there is very little space in front of the stoker where coal could be piled.

Another advantage of this invention is that without any inconvenience the coal, as it is being used, can be weighed and a record thereof kept for the comparative value of the coal being used, as well as for other purposes.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a coal conveying and discharging device, an inclined track comprising a pair of spaced apart angle bars forming supports and guides, a fixed stationary hook stop mounted on the upper end of each angle bar outside of its track laterally thereof and extending upwardly and rearwardly, a. detachably mounted bucket adapted to be drawn upwardly upon said track between said guides and laterally engaging means on said bucket adapted to engage said stops to dump said bucket.

2. In a coal conveying and discharging device, an inclined track comprising spaced.

apart angle bars each having an integral downwardly turned attaching strip at its upper end and provided with a hole therethrough, a bolt and nut whereby said attaching strip is adapted to be secured at its upper end, means at its lower end adapted. to bear against the floor and means for attaching it thereto.

3. An inclined track, stops supported by and adapted to project from the sides of said track, a coal bucket, rollers on the sides of said bucket near its upper edge adapted to engage said stops and pivot thereon, and means for drawing said buckat upwardly on said track whereby said stoos and rollers will dump said bucket.

A coal conveying and discharging device comprising inclined spaced apart tracks each having a hook stop at the upper end thereof and placed outside laterally of said tracks, respectively, a bucket having a bail pivoted thereto centrally thereof near its bottom, said buc st having an outwardly and upwardly inclined side and provided with roller bearing studs adacent said inclined side near the top whereby when said bucket is drawn upwardly on said track said roller bearing studs will en tor said hook stops and form a pivot bearing whereby, as said bucket is continued to be drawn upwardly it will tilt forwardly and discharge the contents thereof, substantially as set forth.

WILLIAM B. COFFMAN. 

